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[08/03/10 - 10:20 AM] FX at TCA: Landgraf Renews "Louie," Orders "Alabama" By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC) |
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LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- John Landgraf opened FX's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour with a pair of announcements: ordering a 13-episode second season for "Louie" and a comedy pilot from "Reno 911" co-creators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant.
"U.S.S. Alabama," which Lennon and Garant will also co-star, is a partially scripted comedy that "takes place in space with a crew of spacefarers who might not be too much brighter than the cops in 'Reno 911,'" Landgraf said. Production on the pilot will begin next month.
Beyond said developments, Landgraf spent the bulk of the session celebrating the channel's successes - both past ("Without 'The Shield' we wouldn't have 'Sons of Anarchy' because [creator] Kurt Sutter... started as a junior writer [there].") and present (all four of its new series in the past 12 months - "Louie," "The League," "Archer" and "Justified" - received second season pickups).
As for the future, FX plans to kick off 2011 with season two of "Archer" and newcomer "Lights Out" in January followed by the return of "Justified" in February or March. And on the pilot front, drama "Outlaw Country" goes into production next month while comedy "Wilfred" just wrapped principal photography.
Other topics included the transition of "Damages" from FX to DirecTV where FX Productions will continue to produce the series, but the network itself will not air it. "DirecTV felt very strongly - they were willing to underwrite it to a very substantial amount financially, they enabled it to move forward, that was a deal that Sony worked on very aggressively - but they wanted it exclusively so this was really the best and only way for 'Damages' to move forward. So we stepped aside as a network entity and we're still involved as a production entity."
He also addressed the DVR issue, which seems to haunt FX series in particular. "I think anybody who sits in this chair as an executive who tells you they don't wish the DVR hadn't been invented is lying. I think it's a great device for consumers and I use it heavily as a consumer myself but we do pay a penalty. We're now losing upwards of 25% of the saleable audience from our shows - in other words if you take a show on FX we get paid from an advertiser standpoint typically now for about 75% of the people actually watching the show. The [other] 25% are in fact watching the show and measurably watching the show but not watching the commercials. And so, thankfully we have a dual revenue stream [with cable operator fees]."
Ultimately, Landgraf proved to be most proud of the general elevation of cable series from afterthoughts to sought after sources of entertainment as of late. "I think it's become almost a status symbol for an actor to have a cable show," he said. "I think many, many actors really want a show. I think part of that has to do with the creative boldness of 'The Shield' and 'The Wire' and 'Mad Men' [etc.] - I think what you see in the film business is that kind of [drama] or that adult film that is very ambitious creatively and from a tone standpoint has really nuanced, defined roles for characters and is made for an adult audience has really almost disappeared. And so a lot of being a movie star these days is standing in front of a green screen in a latex costume with guide wires on, learning how to do karate. And I think in that environment actors want to go where the best writers are [which is cable television]."
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[august 2010] |
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[03/18/24 - 01:59 PM] Chrissy Metz, Jaime Ray Newman, Katie Lowes, and George Ferrier Join as Series Regulars for Starz's New Drama "The Hunting Wives" Production on the thrilling new series has started in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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[03/18/24 - 11:30 AM] Video: ALLBLK Releases Trailer for the World Premiere of New Thriller, "The Influencer" Premiering Thursday, April 4 The original film stars Christina Cooper as Niecy Fields, a social media influencer on the cusp of stardom.
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[03/18/24 - 10:06 AM] E! Announces Trendsetting Guest Judges and Pioneering Disruptors for New Cutting-Edge Design Competition Series "OMG Fashun" with Julia Fox Handcrafted is the new haute couture on "OMG Fashun" as Julia inspires pioneering fashion disruptors to upend traditional style convention, break the rules and redefine cool.
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[03/18/24 - 10:00 AM] Video: Peacock Debuts Trailer For New Original Documentary "Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal" Premiering April 1 The documentary looks at the remarkable career of the late Windham Rotunda also known as Bray Wyatt, one of the most skillful, tenacious, and creative WWE Superstars of all-time.
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[03/18/24 - 10:00 AM] NBC Is the Official Home of Competition and Games This Summer with a Slate of Powerhouse Hit Series NBC is the summer home for both the Paris Olympic Games and high-stakes competition with a robust lineup of returning powerhouse favorites, including "America's Got Talent," "American Ninja Warrior," "Password," "The Wall" and "Weakest Link."
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[03/18/24 - 09:02 AM] Netflix Announces News About 26 Upcoming Nordic Titles - Including 12 Brand New Titles Plus: the streamer offers new looks at "Deliver Me," "The Helicopter Heist," "Ronja the Robber's Daughter," "Billionaire Island" and season two of "Baby Fever."
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[03/18/24 - 09:01 AM] Video: "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" - Official Trailer - Netflix The rebels gear up for battle against the ruthless forces of the Motherworld as unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge - and legends are made.
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[03/18/24 - 09:01 AM] Video: Disney's "Wish" - Streaming April 3rd - Disney+ Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Wish" is an all-new musical-comedy welcoming audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force - a little ball of boundless energy called Star.
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[03/18/24 - 08:01 AM] Video: "Our Living World" - Cate Blanchett - Official Trailer - Netflix This stunning nature series narrated by Cate Blanchett explores the intelligence, resourcefulness and interconnectedness of life on our planet.
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[03/18/24 - 08:00 AM] Acorn TV Fan-Favorite "Harry Wild" Returns Monday, May 13 Season three consists of six episodes and will be available on Acorn TV in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
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[03/18/24 - 08:00 AM] Prime Video Orders "Beast Games" from MrBeast and Amazon MGM Studios Based on his already successful YouTube show, "Beast Games" is set to become the biggest reality competition series ever with 1000 contestants competing for a $5 million dollar cash prize which will be the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming.
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[03/18/24 - 07:14 AM] ESPN+ Original Series "Full Court Press" Presented by State Farm Featuring Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso and Kiki Rice to Premiere May 11 & 12 on ABC and ESPN+ From Iowa's historic preseason game that broke attendance records all the way through the WNBA draft in April, the series uses unparalleled access, exclusive interviews, and unique game footage, to transport audiences into the lives of these exceptional athletes.
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[03/18/24 - 06:01 AM] Video: "Scoop" - Official Trailer - Netflix Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization gives an insider account of how the women of Newsnight secured Prince Andrew's infamous interview.
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[03/18/24 - 06:01 AM] Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for Season Two of Iconic Emmy Award-Winning Series "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock," Premiering Globally March 29 Award-winning season two cast includes the return of Daveed Diggs alongside Ariana DeBose, Brett Goldstein, Catherine O'Hara, Adam Lambert and K-pop group aespa in guest star roles.
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[03/18/24 - 04:01 AM] Video: "Joy" - First Look Teaser - Netflix Starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton and Bill Nighy, the new film based on the story of the birth of IVF.
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